Nigeria’s U17 Boys, Golden Eaglets have not come as far as the quarter-finals of the Africa U17 Cup of Nations to be dumped out of the competition without earning a World Cup ticket, says Head Coach Nduka Ugbade.
The Golden Eaglets and their officials arrived in Algiers, the capital city of Algeria on Monday, three days ahead of their quarter-final clash with Burkina Faso’s Young Etalons at the Nelson Mandela Stadium.
Burkina Faso had an interesting last match of the group phase, coming from behind to defeat and dump out Cup holders Cameroon 2-1 in a truly fascinating encounter.
Nigeria also came from behind twice to edge South Africa 3-2 in a memorable encounter in Constantine, with the five goals scored by different players on the night.
The match between Nigeria and Burkina Faso begins at 8pm on Thursday.
Victory over the Young Etalons will earn Nigeria the opportunity to go for a record-extending sixth FIFA U17 World Cup title.